How A Development In Dog Food Led To The Creation Of This Popular Toaster Treat

Pop-Tarts are equal parts delicious and efficient. The small, flavor-filled toaster pastries are an easy breakfast to have in a pinch, and can be just as easily popped into a backpack for a snack on the go thanks to its Mylar packaging (which is not microwave safe, by the way). You might wonder about this American staple's origins, and it probably wouldn't be to surprising to learn that Pop-Tarts originated in the 1960s. There is just something about its neat packaging that screams mid-century, space age innovation. You'd probably be more surprised to learn that the invention of Pop-Tarts was actually inspired by dog food, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

The story of Pop-Tart's origins begins in 1961 in Battle Creek, Michigan, where two food giants — Kellogg's and Post — were duking it out on the crowded breakfast food market. In the 1960s, Americans were becoming more and more busy and looking for convenient food options, and both Kellogg's and Post were hoping to fill this need. In a seemingly unrelated turn, Post released a new, shelf-stable dog food named Gaines-Burgers. The dog food was stored in a  foil wrapping that allowed for unrefrigerated storage. Inspired by the dog food packaging, Post released a new, similarly wrapped pastry called Country Squares in 1964. However, they encountered setbacks while trying to bring the product to a national market. Later that same year, Kellogg's introduced a similar product, now called Pop-Tarts, which have become an American snack food staple.

So whatever happened to the Pop-Tart predecessor? While Pop-Tart definitely won the brand wars (ranking Pop-Tart flavors is a bit of a sport among brand loyalists), there's no escaping the fact that they weren't an original invention. So what happened to Country Squares? Similar to Hydrox cookies, which were knocked off by the iconic Oreo, Post's invention simply couldn't catch up to Pop-Tarts after its delayed national rollout. This allowed for Kellogg's product to get a crucial head start with customers. In the year following the wild success of Pop-Tarts, Post re-released its Country Squares under a new name, Toast'em Pop Ups. This snazzy name did little to help its popularity, and by 1971, Post had sold off the product to Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company.

While Toast'em Pop Ups never became a mainstream hit, they are still being made; you can find them at retailers such as Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Aldi, and Food Depot. Toast'em Pop Ups do have a somewhat devoted fanbase online, reminding users that Toast'em Pop Ups were, and always will be, the original. According to many, Toast'Em Pop Ups are actually better than Pop-Tarts. Some even speculate that they are larger in size and have a better portion of filling to boot. Maybe slow and steady will win the toaster pastry race, after all.